Sabbatical....

Well...I thought I would let everyone know (all 3 people who read, well who comment) that I will be taking a break from blogging for 21 days beginning Sunday. Actually, it is a break from ALL internet services. By choice, yes we paid our bill :)
Tune in later to see how it went and what came from it!

Jesus is not sitting in the cupholder....technically? right?

While we were in the car Sunday coming home from church, Noah says: "Mommy,Daddy, I have a really sad problem (he says "probwem").
"What is it?" I asked.
"Jesus is not in my heart anymore." he replied with a very sad look on his face.
"What? Well, did you ask him to come in there?" we asked.
"No...he's not in there" was his response.
I am not sure what to say at this point..I mean, he is 3 going on 4. I don't want to confuse him or try to explain something that he isn't capable of making a decision on yet....
Katie took care of it for me....sort of.
Katie says,"Well, maybe He got out and is sitting in the cupholder."
?!?!?
Noah laughed, and the situation turned into a typical kid silly discussion which I put an end to. "Jesus is not sitting in the cupholder" I said....(well....not exactly...right?)"But He will live in your heart if you ask him to."
Then they went on to something else.
Sorry if someone thinks of a better way we should have handled it....I mean, he knows right and wrong, but surely he can't understand everything...not that I will deny talking to him about it if he asks more questions....I just don't want to push something before he truly understands.
I just thought that Katie's explanation was so cute.....
Oh...the fun of kid logic sometimes...
Noah is a child so full of logical thinking. Our two are so different. Corey and I were discussing this one day. If you show Noah something he will see what he can actually do "TO" it. Katie will she what she can pretend it is.....or what she can create from it. Noah will ask "Why" and Katie will just add to whatever you just said.
Katie is a child of faith, Noah is a child of the physical........Katie can easily believe that God is watching over her and taking care of her....Noah wants to know why he can't SEE him.
One night I was trying to comfort Noah to lay down and go to sleep and I said, "You don't have to be scared...God is bigger than the boogie man you know (Veggie Tales ref.)...Noah just cried..."Well I can't SEE him anywhere!!!!"
I think it is the difference between men and women.....boys and girls....Noah looks in his shirt and wants to SEE God in his heart....Katie just says," He's there in the cupholder" to which Noah just gives a skeptical eyebrow raise.
Wow...I guess we are hitting that point....where they don't believe everything we say "just because" and I wouldn't want them to do that anyway. I want them to discover for themselves in Whom and Why they believe....it will mean more then.

Does anybody know how to hatch around here?

That's what my daughter said after calling us in her room after we tucked her in. She was holding her knees up under her white sheet and pretending to be in an "egg." Then she cackled like it was the funniest, wittiest thing she had ever heard! Aren't kids hilarious?!

On another note about our dear daughter...she read a book to us tonight. A for real, not a phonics reader, book. It was called Mouse Paint and contains tons of words! She read it to me earlier in the day and missed very few words. Among those she missed were: because, danced, cried, part. Among those she didn't miss: shouted, stirred, mixed, stepped, mice, there, were, red, yellow, green, purple, blue, orange, mouse, paint, and many others! We are SO proud of her for reading her first piece of literature! I think we may try to video her reading the book and may even venture to posting our first piece of video on the blog!
(I would also like to add that I know that Katie has NOT memorized this book. We have read the book exactly once together before she picked it up today and read it to me. I say this because I have heard kids "read" books that they have just simply memorized and the sad thing is the parents can't tell. I just wanted to get that out there.)

After Katie read the book and there was lots of applause, Noah wanted to read the book too. He immediately said, "You can tell me what to say." So I encouraged him to just make up whatever story he wanted to go with the pictures (he knows the story). He proceeded to entertain us with a VERY funny version of the story, in fact, it was probably more engaging and exciting than the real story. He included great details in his version, including his very favorite detail, sadly neglected by the author: "that mouse is showing his BOTTOM out the top of the paint jar!"
HA HA HA HA HAHA! (That's Katie and Noah hilariously laughing at Noah's retelling!)

What a fun night!

New Favorite Verse and new project

So, I was going to post about something else, but I got here instead. I would like to share my new favorite verse!

"Philippians 4:8-9: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent of praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Too many people, I think, just don't think about anything GOOD. And, furthermore, they don't DO anything with what they have.We intend to change that in our family. Corey and I are "embarking" on a new project at our church in which we will be DOING something....and we are really excited! It is a "sister church" project that will reach out to young couples and families in the area.

In light of the new projects in our lives, I choose to meditate with this verse in mind. To dwell on the GOOD things. Yes, I know everything in the world is not good....but as a Christian, my ultimate end in life will be GREAT, so why get burdened by hopelessness, gloom and doom?! Get up and do something! Look up and stop looking around!

Another project I will be working on is finally starting that book I have been thinking about for years now. I finally have a focus: FEAR. In parenting, living, serving God...the list goes on and on. That's all I can share right now, but I can't wait to get started!

This is going to be a great year!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a small photo shoot at our house yesterday. I got the prints and put them in a 4x6 double frame as a gift for "daddy" for the occassion. It was pretty fun....hope you enjoy! The two "winning" shots are labeled...the rest I got prints of as well and put them in a flip album. The tulips are my present from Corey!

Out of the office.....

Yeah..in case you didn't know....click here to see updates.

My Dream Came True!

And no, I am not talking about Disneyworld this time!

Last night I went out to deliver some food for a meal for another girl who had a baby. Not the same one, a different one from church. So, as Corey came in the door from work, I went out the door to meet some other girls and we went out to see the baby and deliver the food. Side note: haven't held a newborn in a while: CUTENESS!

So...after delivering the food I went to Target to pick up some dollar junk to make surprise bags for the kids for the road tomorrow. I read this idea of putting a little prize in a brown paper bag to hand out to the kids every 50-100 miles or so as a diversion for long road trips. I thought that sounded like a really cute idea. I picked up pencil top stamps, sticker books, coloring books, books, gel pens and post-its...actually not an adundance of stuff available for $1, but I am sure the kids will be thrilled. I could have gone to the dollar store and the one in Cartersville is really nice, but it is kind of scary and I was by myself. They don't have lights in the parking lot and it is in one of those abandoned strip mall things....anyway...

Then I start my way home. It never fails that if I leave the house as Corey gets home and am gone for a few hours (for instance to go scrapbook or to a party get together thing) I have this "dream" that maybe Corey decided to be super husband and CLEAN while I was gone. I picture the kitchen being all cleaned up after the dinner I left for them ready....the living room being all picked up and nice, etc. It has NEVER happened before. I always come in to supper half left on the table, toys all over the living room, etc.

BUT TONIGHT MY DREAM CAME TRUE!!!!! I walked in and first noticed that the carpet had been vacuumed! WOW! "Did you vacuum?!" I asked. "Yeah," he replied. Not only that, but the living room was straightened, there was NO sign of anyone having made a meal or eaten in the kitchen/on the table, and the dishwasher had already run!

What a great husband!!!!!! He also replaced the shower curtain liner with the new one I picked up but hadn't had time to put up. Little things that really make you feel loved! I was so happy! Can you tell my love language is "acts of service." Or as Corey so cutely likes to say: "Works of labor."

(reference to Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman)

This is how you know you've had a rough week!

I am getting all the supplies out to bake some peanut butter cookies to go with a meal for a girl in the mom's group who just had a baby. I am gathering, pre-measuring. I got the butter in the mixing bowl to soften while I get everything else together. Then I open the fridge to look for eggs. There are no eggs in the refrigerator. This can't be possible!
First of all, I went to church alone this morning because my husband is sick and I figured I would just leave the kids rather than get them out in the rain since they are getting over being sick as well. Then, I drive home, get us lunch together, lie down for a short nap (a good note!) and then when I get up, go out in the rain to buy more supplies for the sick man and a few other things. Please also note the trip to the store taken YESTERDAY morning to replace the laundry detergent etc, rest of the day doing laundry. Too long to tell again just read it.
SO....I canNOT believe I am going to have to go out in the rain again tonight! I am just so tired! I am trying to get the cookies baked tonight, since I will be preparing a different part of a meal tomorrow. I am NOT in the LEAST complaining about making the meals. I am very happy to be able to do it and I enjoy cooking things for people, but COME ON! I certainly did not feel like, after the week we have had, going out to the store to buy EGGS!
Besides, there is just no logical explanation for us being out of eggs. I made waffles this week. And I KNOW I didn't use the last of the eggs, because when I use the last of the eggs I just use the carton for storing the egg shells while I am baking and throwing garbage in it all along. I would remember doing that.
So....I move everything around in the refrigerator, pace, get aggravated, complain that I am going to have to go back out, start to cry even. I have just had it with this week already!
I trudge back to the bedroom to put on my shoes and my husband goes into the kitchen. He doesn't believe that eggs could just disappear like that. And he is right.
"Carrie!"
I walk back into the kitchen and he is holding a yellow styrofoam egg container.
"Where were they?!" I ask, completely surprised. I looked everywhere and moved everything on each shelf. Those eggs could NOT have been in there!
They weren't.
"They were sitting on the stove" he answered.
I had already gotten them out..........................

Looking at the Bright Side....and a side note...

It is fun trying to find the bright side of things isn't it?

Such as, my kids and husband have been sick this week. Well, at least it isn't next week when we are going to Disney.

I have had the off and on sniffles as well. It was very odd. I started taking Zicam to prevent the cold from getting worse, then it would get better. Well, then it would get worse and I would start sneezing.

The kids would get better...then they would start having a runny nose again and coughing.

I started noticing a pattern when I went into the bathroom and would have a sneezing fit. My husband's shirt was hanging in the doorway to dry. Hmmm....

Well....I developed a theory. I think I am allergic to the clothes detergent we are using. We have always used Arm and Hammer. But this time it is a new scent, it has oxyclean in it and it is "fresh scent" kind of flowery. We opened the new container about a week and a half ago. Around about the time we all first started getting sick. About the time it would take to cycle through all the clothes that were washed in the old stuff and go full time to the new stuff.

So, I resolved that first thing this morning I would go to the store and buy new detergent and rewash everything. Then I went to bed. Well, since everyone had been sick I stripped all the beds yesterday and WASHED them in hot water so they would be germ free. Bad news is, they are now "freshly scented" with the new detergent! As soon as I laid down on my pillow I sneezed. Then my eyes started watering.

No wonder the kids were worse when they first woke up in the morning!

I toughed it out through the night because I was just too tired from the day to get up and change the sheets, and besides Katie was already asleep on our bed because Corey had decided to sleep on her bed to prevent keeping me awake with his coughing etc.

So, this morning I ran out to the store for some unscented, dye free detergent (just to be on the safe side), some claritin, and some mucinex. I come home and strip all the beds again and start rewashing.

Then I head to the closets.

Can you even CONCEIVE how frustrating and annoying it is to take FRESHLY washed clothes out of the drawers and off the hangers to put them back in the dirty clothes without them having been worn?

I was very easy to discern which ones were "freshly scented." I just pulled something out, gave it a sniff, and if I sneezed or almost sneezed then it was guilty and thrown in the hamper! I was so proud of how our laundry was caught up! I had it all cleaned, folded, hung up....no worry or chores for the weekend!

So, now I sit here, in between loads of "clean" laundry, trying to find the bright side. I guess I could have not realized the problem and continued having reactions to the clothes. There...there's the bright side.

SIDE NOTE: So, I know that if you are a computer user you have probably noticed how GOOGLE seems to commemorate every single non-holiday and event and the major ones with an illustration. Sometimes there will be the most random little picture of a radio or something and when I roll over the icon it will say "celebrating 50 years of play-doh" or something similarly obscure.
Well...I would just like to point out that there was no cute ground hog reference. Maybe they were thrown off because it was on a Saturday, I know I was! I walked by the calendar and was like "Oh, happy ground hog day." Usually it is on a weekday and you know people are always looking for something unique for a weekday, workday, schoolday, etc. Anyway, just thought it was odd the the groundhog didn't get a nod from Google. I have enjoyed Groundhog Day ever since the movie...if you haven't seen it you should!